Challenge
by luckynumberblack
Summary: While trying to defend his friends Ryou ends up being dragged into helping Kaiba. I know bad summary, but please read anyway.


**Ryou's POV**

I can't help but wonder why I always let myself get dragged into these types of messes. Okay, squash that thought. It sounds too much like the spirit of the ring. Besides, this is completely my fault; I was the one who volunteered to go give Kaiba the invite to Anzu's pool party.

Despite me anxiety, I smile at the thought of how nice the group is to always invite Kaiba to their parties. Kaiba never goes, but they won't give up. I find myself constantly being surprised with their generosity and belief in friendship. Truthfully, I'm not completely sure how they can stand being as patient as they are with him. Even Jou seems to have his patient moments, which is shocking considering his personality. He's the type of person to yell and fight when he gets upset. Why, earlier today he was yelling at some guy with green hair for insulting him. I'm pretty sure I knew his name once. It was some kind of bug, which suited him. Was it Beetle..? No, maybe not. Could it have been Leech...? Or was it-?

"Are you here to talk or do you like staring at me?"

Kaiba's grumpy voice quickly snaps me back to reality and causes me to remember the reason I'm here. I find my nerve slipping.

"Um... Uh... Well..."

"Just spit it out, already!"

I flinch at how he sounds. He could be a dragon. What would he look like as a dragon, I wonder..? Oh, right! Need to answer Kaiba. I try to call my voice; make it sound confident, but I end with my usual(if slightly quieter) murmur.

"Tea is inviting you to a party on Saturday. It's at noon, so, uh, please come."

What made me say that last part? He won't come; he never shows.

"Why would I want to go to a party with the Geek Squad?" His voice dripped with arrogance. I could practically see it pooling around our feet and spreading from there to-

_-Yeah why would he want to go to a party with them?- _

Perfect. Now the Spirit has decided to demean me. This is my first time talking to Kaiba and, to some extent, I can understand why Joey despises him. He just met me and already he treats me like a bug on his shoe.

_You should probably give people more of a chance, Kaiba._

"Why?" the voice that brakes my thoughts sounds murderous.

I think that I just said that out loud. He looks like he's about to murder me. I may have just accidentally let loose the hounds of hell upon myself. He's going to kill me, or most likely hire someone else to kill me. He's rich enough. I don't want to die... Maybe if I think of an intriguing enough reason, he'll spare my life. _Think, Ryou, think. There must be something you can say._ Maybe, I can tell him friends are like fluffy clouds... No, that won't work.

He's waiting. What do I do? Maybe, I should tell him what I think of friends. My father always tells me, "Honesty is usually a good way to stall until you can escape."

Or was that some TV show I watched..?

"Well?"

I wouldn't be surprised if his glare was cutting a hole through me. I better hurry and say something, before I'm the first person killed by a glare.

"You know, having friends is actually quite challenging. You should try it." _Where'd that come from? _I'm really not the person to talk; I'm always on the outside of the group. That never changes. I wait; dreading his answer to my weird outburst.

"Really? Why?" What he says shocks me.

He actually sounds curious. I've never heard him be curious about anything. I had assumed he didn't have that emotion. He looks a lot less forbidding when he isn't glaring. He looks sort of like a human, instead of a dragon. I can see why he has so many fan girls tripping over him. He has some stunning eyes.

-S_hut Up! You're rambling gives me a headache and I don't even have a head- _

_-S_orry-

I better answer before he gets mad again.

"People are complicated and almost impossible to understand. Never mind, someone like you would probably have too much trouble having friends." Ugh. This is the reason why I'm quiet most of the time. That, and so I don't show people how odd I'm becoming. When I do speak more than a few sentences I say the stupidest things. I really am going to die, now. I can see my headstone. It will say; "Here Lies Ryou Bakura, Who Died While Trying to Invite a Dragonlike CEO to a Friends Party."

_I wonder if people will laugh or cry at my funeral._

"I'll show you I can handle friends for any amount of time you name."

Ra must be watching out for me today. I'm still alive, though it's possible that he's going to hire assassins later. I'll give him a nice amount of time. What would a good number be? I wish he would stop staring so intently at me. I'm not used to people paying so much attention to me. It's hard to think.

"A week?"

There. That's a good number. A week, which is seven days. I've always liked sevens; they look so friendly and inviting.

If I want to make it out of this alive, I have to focus. Looks like he's about to say something.

"Fine. A week, if you want. For maximum results, you'll coach me during that week. I'll pick you up tomorrow before school."

He then walked off, leaving me without a chance to speak.


End file.
